1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices using touch-sensitive surfaces.
2. Background Art
Touch-sensitive devices, such as touch screen devices, are becoming increasingly prevalent in the marketplace. These touch-sensitive devices offer a touch-sensitive surface that can detect the presence and position of touch-based input opening up the possibility of new ways to interact with electronic devices. The popularity of recent touch screen devices, including tablet computers such as iPad from Apple®, means that touch screen devices can be found among many family households. At the same time, physical game pieces and/or toys remain a staple of kids, with collectible figures and objects serving as a bedrock for imaginative toy play in the form of interaction between the figures and objects as well as the larger environment.
In this context, kids are having increased exposure to touch screen devices making it desirable to provide new technologies, which can enhance the interactive experience with touch screen devices and their existing toys.
In a conventional approach, a toy may be integrated with a video game or other software running on a computer through establishing wired or wireless communication between the toy and the computer. For example, the video game or other software could run on a touch screen device and communicate with the toy over a universal serial bus (USB) connection. However, this approach is limited in that the video game or other software cannot track the presence, position, and orientation of the toy in the physical world without requiring complex and expensive electrical components. These limitations present a barrier to new interactive experiences.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art while providing interactive game pieces and/or toys, which can be used with touch screen devices.